A/N- I don't normally do author notes. I have this fellow that lives in my
head. His name is Francis and he is my muse. He insists that I write,
write, write, but only what he tells me, and not other blatherings. I've
managed to subdue him currently though with red sweedish gummi fish, so he
is content for the moment.
Story is now almost finished, there will probably be a total of 13 chapters, and since this is nine, we're getting there! I want to send out many thanks to musicgirl141, YamiVixen, watergoddesskasey, Amazonian21, and Eliana Emeth for reviews. I am discovering what a wonderful thing reviews are, it's so very nice to know that people are enjoying the story.
Special thanks though go to ZanneChaos, and Voodoolimbo, the two people who are giving me the encouragement to actually write and put this in public domain. Yes, the spelling and such may not be perfect, but I am planning on fixing this.
All questions, comments, and such are greatly welcomed. I am planning on re- loading all this when the story is done, but I know that If I sit on this while I am writing it and wait to post it, it will never get posted. So eventually it will be all corrected and such and then re-posted. But for now, I do hope you enjoy.
88888888888888888
The journey was not as bad as Boto had feared it would be. Jareth walked several paces behind as he led Sarah to the tunnel exit. He didn't speak during the journey, merely glaring at one or the other of them. Realizing that Jareth was going to remain apart from them and keep to himself, Boto let himself relax and enjoy Sarah's company.
Boto knew that Jareth was angry, and while Sarah couldn't figure out why that was, he knew. Jareth was jealous. He had been suspicious when he had first seen him. Considering the circumstances they were in, that was to be expected. But when Sarah introduced them, the warmth in her voice had caused Jareth's attitude toward him to grow cooler. While it was something he himself had never experienced, he could understand the king's desire to possess Sarah for himself. She seemed to radiate with a sort of magic that was all her own.
He knew that he was walking on dangerous ground, but couldn't help but to provoke matters. Jareth had a quick temper, and he often appeared cruel and selfish. He was used to getting what he wanted. Sarah didn't seem like the type of person who would give in to anyone just because it was expected of her. She was a beautiful young woman with a quick wit and lovely smile. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself a bit.
"Sarah, what type of dancing do you prefer?"
Sarah had been wrapped in her own thoughts when Boto spoke to her. She had been trying to figure out what she had managed to do to get on Jareth's bad side this time, only she had been failing miserably. "What type of dancing do I prefer?" she repeated dumbly. "What do you mean? For what?"
"Well, you did promise me a dance when you got out of this, so I was wondering what you preferred? Do you like something fast that spins you all around leaving you breathless and light headed?" He took her hand in his, dropping his other to her waist and spun forward with her in a twirling dance step. "Or would you prefer something slow and leisurely?" He carefully lowered her into a dip, grinning down at her.
Sarah laughed as she got caught up by his impromptu little dance, holding onto him as he tipped her over. If not for his arm around her waist she would have fallen to the floor. "Um, I think I like them both actually. But we have to get through this first before you get your dance."
He set her back on her feet. "Oh, I suppose you're right, even if you are dodging the question. But I know that a lady as intelligent as you will have no problem finding your way to the end. After all, you have done this before." He risked a quick glance back at his king.
Jareth was trying hard to keep a neutral expression while grinding his teeth in aggravation. When he noticed Boto glancing back at him, he finally broke his silence. "Where is it that you are taking us, any way?"
Boto grinned, still keeping a hand settled at the small of Sarah's back. "I'm going to bring you to an exit just outside of the castle grounds. I would take you closer, but the closer you get, the more dangerous things are going to be for the two of you."
"Boto, do you know what we might run into when we get up there?" Sarah asked. He fidgeted for a moment, taking time to straighten his clothing and adjust the brim of his hat. "Well...not exactly. But I do know that he'll try to use your hopes as well as your fears against you."
Sarah remembered her own encounter with the peach and the dream ball. While at first it had been delightfully enchanting, she remembered how it had almost caused her to fail in her task. They had wasted quite a bit of time trekking around in the tunnels, plus the time that Jareth had spent trapped in the time loop. Sarah figured that they had probably used up at least half of the time allotted to them. "Well, we'll just have to keep to the task at hand then, that's all."
Boto brought them near to the place where he had stopped with Sarah. "I could take you further, but as I explained, it gets more dangerous the closer we get." He looked down at Sarah. "I don't want to drop you that close into the danger. If you exit here, you should be able to get through without catching to much of Thanier's attention. When you get to the surface, you're going to be on the edge of the Woods of Night. Pay attention to which way the wind is blowing, if you follow the direction of the wind, it will lead you out of the woods. You'll be in a valley, cross to the other side and you'll be approaching the back of the castle. I assume that Jareth would know if there are any back entrances to the castle. If not, you can find your way to the front and get in through there."
Sarah hugged him. "Thank you, Boto. Thank you for helping this much, I know what the cost. And I do promise, once we get through this..."
Boto hugged her back and finished her thought, "...you owe me a dance. I'm holding you to that. Be careful Sarah." He kissed her cheek then turned and swept a bow to Jareth. "You're majesty, best of luck to you." He stood up, fitting his hat back on his head, then headed further down the passageway.
Jareth nodded farewell to Boto and then moved to start up the ladder. Sarah stopped him, holding onto his arm and pulling him back. "What are you doing?"
"You went up that last ladder first, and look what happened. As much help as Boto is, I don't trust that Thanier didn't move things around on him. If I get stuck in some sort of loop like that, you can still go on. It's more important that you get the castle. I go first." Without waiting for his response, she ducked around him and started climbing the ladder.
Half way up, she looked back to find him still waiting at the bottom. Apparently he could listen to logic from time to time. The ladder ended at the bottom of a trap door. She wrapped on arm around the top wrung of the ladder and pushed upward with her other hand. The hatch flipped open and pale moonlight peeked through the trees overhead.
She climbed out of the tunnels, emerging from what would appear to be the stump of a large white ash tree. She took a moment to look around. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous in the immediate area. She turned slowly around, looking in all directions. When she was fairly certain that it was safe for the moment, she turned to call back down to Jareth.
The hatch to the exit way was closed. The tree stump appeared to be just a stump, and sitting on it was a cloaked figure.
"I didn't expect you to come back here." The voice was soft, definitely masculine and sent a shiver down Sarah's spine.
"Shows how little you know of me." She folded her arms across her chest trying to see beneath the hood of the cloak. "What was I supposed to do, let you hurt my friends?"
"I didn't think that you would consider Jareth to be a friend. He was your adversary the last time you were here after all." He stood up. "I suppose I should tell you who I really am. I am Thanier, soon to be the new king of the labyrinth and all it's inhabitants."
Sarah gave a rude snort. "Only in your mind, sweetheart."
The hooded face turned towards her. She couldn't see the details of his face in the shadows of the night, but she could feel the angry glare he directed at her. "You should be careful, you silly little girl. I have more power than your...friend...down there, and unlike him, I have no qualms about using it." He raised a hand at her, pointing a long slender finger in her direction.
Sarah stood there looking at him. For several moments nothing happened. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to point?"
He laughed. "You are a quandary. I think I shall enjoy having you in this little game after all." He slowly swung his hand to point at the tree stump and the hatch flipped open once more. "Call you're friend. Continue your journey. You and I will talk again shortly." He made an elegant bow to her, briefly touching his fore head and heart. He straightened again then disappeared in a flash of blue light.
She waited a moment, thinking he was going to come back. When she was almost certain that he had gone, she leaned over and called down into the tunnels. "Come on up Jareth, and make it fast."
Jareth started up the ladder moving as quickly as he could. "Is everything alright there?"
Sarah went back to scanning the area around the stump. "Now? Yeah. a few minutes ago? Well, there was a bit of a visit from your friend running this carnival. He seems to be like you in some aspects, not content to just sit at the castle in wait, has to come down here and taunt."
Jareth pulled himself out of the stump and closed the hatch behind him. "He was here?" His voice had taken on a hard edge to it again. "What did he say to you?"
"Oh, nothing much, just wondered why I was here, pointed his finger at me, then left."
Jareth eyed her like he didn't quite believe her. "He did nothing else?"
"Nope." Having him next to her now, she stood still and waited to figure out which way the wind was blowing. "And I think we need to go.....that way," she pointed to the west.
Jareth watched her for a moment, then motioned for her to start that way. "Well then, since you seem to have taken the lead on this expedition, lead the way."
Sarah shrugged and started leading the way through the woods. A couple of times the wind would die down and they would be forced to stop until it resumed enough to follow it. One the first one of these breaks, she decided to bring up the topic of Thanier.
"Jareth, why does Thanier want control of the labyrinth so much?"
He thought for a moment about how best to answer the question. "Right now, I keep a sort of order between the aboveground and the underground. My people can not go to the Aboveground unless they are somehow called upon. Those of the Aboveground can not come here without asking permission either. It was not always like this though." He paused as the wind picked up again, and motioned her to follow it's direction.
"Once, the people of the Underground could go to the Aboveground when ever they wished. They wandered the lands there as freely as they wander the lands here. While we have magic to defend ourselves with and to attack with, those aboveground had technology. In some ways, magic is much greater than the technology of the aboveground, but in most of the important ways, the technology was greater. People don't like what they don't understand, and they began hunting any creature with magic."
Sarah nodded, she had been taught in school how the worst of humanity had hunted anyone who was different then them, the holocaust being among the worst of the atrocities committed simply because some people were different.
"The people of the underground slowly stopped going to the aboveground. It had become dangerous for anyone to travel there. But that was not enough for the people of the Aboveground, if they knew the ways, could find their way to the underground. When they couldn't find the magical creatures they sought roaming freely there, they began hunting for the way here to kill the so called dangerous creatures where they lived. This could not be allowed, so the two worlds were separated."
They stopped again waiting to determine the path of the breeze they were following. Sarah took a moment to interpret this information. As they began to walk again she asked, "I understand all that, but what does that have to do with this guy wanting to control the Labyrinth?"
"The labyrinth is the center of the Underground. Any who wish to go from here to the Aboveground must pass through here, and any wishing to come from the Aboveground must pass through here."
"That part I remember well enough."
He gave her a light smile. "Yes, you have been through this part of the story before. Thanier believes that he has found a way to separate the two worlds once more, but he can not do anything unless he controls this pathway between the two worlds."
"Why would he want to link them back together again? If he can travel there at will, then he must have seen how technology has advanced, how the populations have increased. Wouldn't that just put your people in more danger?"
"Not according to him," Jareth frowned. "He believes that the Underground could go to the Aboveground and get revenge and reap the bounties of the Aboveground. He says that because of the general disbelief that has been carefully cultured in the Aboveground, they would be unprepared for an attack of magic from the Underground."
Sarah frowned. "That's partially true. People don't believe in magic anymore. But they do adapt to strange things quickly, especially when they are under attack."
"I know. That is why it is most important that he not be allowed control of the lands. It would be a slaughter." He stopped, spotting the edge of the woods. "There. The way out of the woods, if your...friend...was being truthful, then that should be the valley there."
Sarah sighed. "Look, Jareth. You are in major need of a chill pill. Boto was risking his neck to help us. Chances are, we're going to need help from others, and if you keep giving them this attitude, none of them are going to want to so much as say "bless you" if you sneeze, let alone put themselves in danger for you."
Jareth glared at her. "How dare you tell me how I should talk about my subjects? Granted you're friend, Boto, may have seemed nice and jolly to you, but I can tell you more about him then what you know. The only reason he rescued you was in the hopes that he could take advantage of you. It is what he does, he lives only to play and he likes pretty young women like yourself to dally with. And when he is bored with you, he'll walk away to find something...or someone...else that can entertain him for a time. If he found you interesting enough, he would have said anything to stay in your good graces."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, thank you captain obvious. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have figured that one out on my own. He rescued me so that I could be his escort at some shindig that Thanier was planning on holding when you failed, said he wanted a dance. I said he could have one, after he helped us get to the center."
"And how is that supposed to work, if we get to the center, then there won't be any celebration for him to attend. I don't think even a creature with as small a mind as his can be that daft." He stalked away from her, heading past the line of trees.
"Yeah, well.....um....that's why I told him that if he helped us, that there'd be a victory celebration then and he could come then." she followed behind him stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
"You told him that we would have a celebration after we made it to the center?" Calm and carefully controlled, his voice gave away non of the incredulousness of the situation. Sarah always did have a way of simply taking over when she came to the Underground.
"Had to tell him something. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find where you had wound up, or find a way out of the tunnels. We'd probably both still be wandering around down there. And why not through a celebration? Right now, everyone is so tense with fear, it'll be good to let them relax for a night before you go back to terrifying them again." She gave him a dazzling smile before setting to looking about the valley.
The night was nearing it's end and the moon hung low over the hills across the valley. Dark shadows filled the valley floor making it difficult to see if there was anything dangerous awaiting them there.
"Do you really think me to be that much of a villain, Sarah?" There was a strange note to his voice, somewhat curious, and also a little sad.
"You haven't exactly given me reason to think otherwise." She folded her arms defensively around her and changed the subject. "I can't tell what's down there, guess the only way to find out will be to go down there.
Jareth studied her for a few moments longer. Without a word, he shook his head and started to descend into the valley.
Story is now almost finished, there will probably be a total of 13 chapters, and since this is nine, we're getting there! I want to send out many thanks to musicgirl141, YamiVixen, watergoddesskasey, Amazonian21, and Eliana Emeth for reviews. I am discovering what a wonderful thing reviews are, it's so very nice to know that people are enjoying the story.
Special thanks though go to ZanneChaos, and Voodoolimbo, the two people who are giving me the encouragement to actually write and put this in public domain. Yes, the spelling and such may not be perfect, but I am planning on fixing this.
All questions, comments, and such are greatly welcomed. I am planning on re- loading all this when the story is done, but I know that If I sit on this while I am writing it and wait to post it, it will never get posted. So eventually it will be all corrected and such and then re-posted. But for now, I do hope you enjoy.
88888888888888888
The journey was not as bad as Boto had feared it would be. Jareth walked several paces behind as he led Sarah to the tunnel exit. He didn't speak during the journey, merely glaring at one or the other of them. Realizing that Jareth was going to remain apart from them and keep to himself, Boto let himself relax and enjoy Sarah's company.
Boto knew that Jareth was angry, and while Sarah couldn't figure out why that was, he knew. Jareth was jealous. He had been suspicious when he had first seen him. Considering the circumstances they were in, that was to be expected. But when Sarah introduced them, the warmth in her voice had caused Jareth's attitude toward him to grow cooler. While it was something he himself had never experienced, he could understand the king's desire to possess Sarah for himself. She seemed to radiate with a sort of magic that was all her own.
He knew that he was walking on dangerous ground, but couldn't help but to provoke matters. Jareth had a quick temper, and he often appeared cruel and selfish. He was used to getting what he wanted. Sarah didn't seem like the type of person who would give in to anyone just because it was expected of her. She was a beautiful young woman with a quick wit and lovely smile. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself a bit.
"Sarah, what type of dancing do you prefer?"
Sarah had been wrapped in her own thoughts when Boto spoke to her. She had been trying to figure out what she had managed to do to get on Jareth's bad side this time, only she had been failing miserably. "What type of dancing do I prefer?" she repeated dumbly. "What do you mean? For what?"
"Well, you did promise me a dance when you got out of this, so I was wondering what you preferred? Do you like something fast that spins you all around leaving you breathless and light headed?" He took her hand in his, dropping his other to her waist and spun forward with her in a twirling dance step. "Or would you prefer something slow and leisurely?" He carefully lowered her into a dip, grinning down at her.
Sarah laughed as she got caught up by his impromptu little dance, holding onto him as he tipped her over. If not for his arm around her waist she would have fallen to the floor. "Um, I think I like them both actually. But we have to get through this first before you get your dance."
He set her back on her feet. "Oh, I suppose you're right, even if you are dodging the question. But I know that a lady as intelligent as you will have no problem finding your way to the end. After all, you have done this before." He risked a quick glance back at his king.
Jareth was trying hard to keep a neutral expression while grinding his teeth in aggravation. When he noticed Boto glancing back at him, he finally broke his silence. "Where is it that you are taking us, any way?"
Boto grinned, still keeping a hand settled at the small of Sarah's back. "I'm going to bring you to an exit just outside of the castle grounds. I would take you closer, but the closer you get, the more dangerous things are going to be for the two of you."
"Boto, do you know what we might run into when we get up there?" Sarah asked. He fidgeted for a moment, taking time to straighten his clothing and adjust the brim of his hat. "Well...not exactly. But I do know that he'll try to use your hopes as well as your fears against you."
Sarah remembered her own encounter with the peach and the dream ball. While at first it had been delightfully enchanting, she remembered how it had almost caused her to fail in her task. They had wasted quite a bit of time trekking around in the tunnels, plus the time that Jareth had spent trapped in the time loop. Sarah figured that they had probably used up at least half of the time allotted to them. "Well, we'll just have to keep to the task at hand then, that's all."
Boto brought them near to the place where he had stopped with Sarah. "I could take you further, but as I explained, it gets more dangerous the closer we get." He looked down at Sarah. "I don't want to drop you that close into the danger. If you exit here, you should be able to get through without catching to much of Thanier's attention. When you get to the surface, you're going to be on the edge of the Woods of Night. Pay attention to which way the wind is blowing, if you follow the direction of the wind, it will lead you out of the woods. You'll be in a valley, cross to the other side and you'll be approaching the back of the castle. I assume that Jareth would know if there are any back entrances to the castle. If not, you can find your way to the front and get in through there."
Sarah hugged him. "Thank you, Boto. Thank you for helping this much, I know what the cost. And I do promise, once we get through this..."
Boto hugged her back and finished her thought, "...you owe me a dance. I'm holding you to that. Be careful Sarah." He kissed her cheek then turned and swept a bow to Jareth. "You're majesty, best of luck to you." He stood up, fitting his hat back on his head, then headed further down the passageway.
Jareth nodded farewell to Boto and then moved to start up the ladder. Sarah stopped him, holding onto his arm and pulling him back. "What are you doing?"
"You went up that last ladder first, and look what happened. As much help as Boto is, I don't trust that Thanier didn't move things around on him. If I get stuck in some sort of loop like that, you can still go on. It's more important that you get the castle. I go first." Without waiting for his response, she ducked around him and started climbing the ladder.
Half way up, she looked back to find him still waiting at the bottom. Apparently he could listen to logic from time to time. The ladder ended at the bottom of a trap door. She wrapped on arm around the top wrung of the ladder and pushed upward with her other hand. The hatch flipped open and pale moonlight peeked through the trees overhead.
She climbed out of the tunnels, emerging from what would appear to be the stump of a large white ash tree. She took a moment to look around. There didn't seem to be anything dangerous in the immediate area. She turned slowly around, looking in all directions. When she was fairly certain that it was safe for the moment, she turned to call back down to Jareth.
The hatch to the exit way was closed. The tree stump appeared to be just a stump, and sitting on it was a cloaked figure.
"I didn't expect you to come back here." The voice was soft, definitely masculine and sent a shiver down Sarah's spine.
"Shows how little you know of me." She folded her arms across her chest trying to see beneath the hood of the cloak. "What was I supposed to do, let you hurt my friends?"
"I didn't think that you would consider Jareth to be a friend. He was your adversary the last time you were here after all." He stood up. "I suppose I should tell you who I really am. I am Thanier, soon to be the new king of the labyrinth and all it's inhabitants."
Sarah gave a rude snort. "Only in your mind, sweetheart."
The hooded face turned towards her. She couldn't see the details of his face in the shadows of the night, but she could feel the angry glare he directed at her. "You should be careful, you silly little girl. I have more power than your...friend...down there, and unlike him, I have no qualms about using it." He raised a hand at her, pointing a long slender finger in her direction.
Sarah stood there looking at him. For several moments nothing happened. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to point?"
He laughed. "You are a quandary. I think I shall enjoy having you in this little game after all." He slowly swung his hand to point at the tree stump and the hatch flipped open once more. "Call you're friend. Continue your journey. You and I will talk again shortly." He made an elegant bow to her, briefly touching his fore head and heart. He straightened again then disappeared in a flash of blue light.
She waited a moment, thinking he was going to come back. When she was almost certain that he had gone, she leaned over and called down into the tunnels. "Come on up Jareth, and make it fast."
Jareth started up the ladder moving as quickly as he could. "Is everything alright there?"
Sarah went back to scanning the area around the stump. "Now? Yeah. a few minutes ago? Well, there was a bit of a visit from your friend running this carnival. He seems to be like you in some aspects, not content to just sit at the castle in wait, has to come down here and taunt."
Jareth pulled himself out of the stump and closed the hatch behind him. "He was here?" His voice had taken on a hard edge to it again. "What did he say to you?"
"Oh, nothing much, just wondered why I was here, pointed his finger at me, then left."
Jareth eyed her like he didn't quite believe her. "He did nothing else?"
"Nope." Having him next to her now, she stood still and waited to figure out which way the wind was blowing. "And I think we need to go.....that way," she pointed to the west.
Jareth watched her for a moment, then motioned for her to start that way. "Well then, since you seem to have taken the lead on this expedition, lead the way."
Sarah shrugged and started leading the way through the woods. A couple of times the wind would die down and they would be forced to stop until it resumed enough to follow it. One the first one of these breaks, she decided to bring up the topic of Thanier.
"Jareth, why does Thanier want control of the labyrinth so much?"
He thought for a moment about how best to answer the question. "Right now, I keep a sort of order between the aboveground and the underground. My people can not go to the Aboveground unless they are somehow called upon. Those of the Aboveground can not come here without asking permission either. It was not always like this though." He paused as the wind picked up again, and motioned her to follow it's direction.
"Once, the people of the Underground could go to the Aboveground when ever they wished. They wandered the lands there as freely as they wander the lands here. While we have magic to defend ourselves with and to attack with, those aboveground had technology. In some ways, magic is much greater than the technology of the aboveground, but in most of the important ways, the technology was greater. People don't like what they don't understand, and they began hunting any creature with magic."
Sarah nodded, she had been taught in school how the worst of humanity had hunted anyone who was different then them, the holocaust being among the worst of the atrocities committed simply because some people were different.
"The people of the underground slowly stopped going to the aboveground. It had become dangerous for anyone to travel there. But that was not enough for the people of the Aboveground, if they knew the ways, could find their way to the underground. When they couldn't find the magical creatures they sought roaming freely there, they began hunting for the way here to kill the so called dangerous creatures where they lived. This could not be allowed, so the two worlds were separated."
They stopped again waiting to determine the path of the breeze they were following. Sarah took a moment to interpret this information. As they began to walk again she asked, "I understand all that, but what does that have to do with this guy wanting to control the Labyrinth?"
"The labyrinth is the center of the Underground. Any who wish to go from here to the Aboveground must pass through here, and any wishing to come from the Aboveground must pass through here."
"That part I remember well enough."
He gave her a light smile. "Yes, you have been through this part of the story before. Thanier believes that he has found a way to separate the two worlds once more, but he can not do anything unless he controls this pathway between the two worlds."
"Why would he want to link them back together again? If he can travel there at will, then he must have seen how technology has advanced, how the populations have increased. Wouldn't that just put your people in more danger?"
"Not according to him," Jareth frowned. "He believes that the Underground could go to the Aboveground and get revenge and reap the bounties of the Aboveground. He says that because of the general disbelief that has been carefully cultured in the Aboveground, they would be unprepared for an attack of magic from the Underground."
Sarah frowned. "That's partially true. People don't believe in magic anymore. But they do adapt to strange things quickly, especially when they are under attack."
"I know. That is why it is most important that he not be allowed control of the lands. It would be a slaughter." He stopped, spotting the edge of the woods. "There. The way out of the woods, if your...friend...was being truthful, then that should be the valley there."
Sarah sighed. "Look, Jareth. You are in major need of a chill pill. Boto was risking his neck to help us. Chances are, we're going to need help from others, and if you keep giving them this attitude, none of them are going to want to so much as say "bless you" if you sneeze, let alone put themselves in danger for you."
Jareth glared at her. "How dare you tell me how I should talk about my subjects? Granted you're friend, Boto, may have seemed nice and jolly to you, but I can tell you more about him then what you know. The only reason he rescued you was in the hopes that he could take advantage of you. It is what he does, he lives only to play and he likes pretty young women like yourself to dally with. And when he is bored with you, he'll walk away to find something...or someone...else that can entertain him for a time. If he found you interesting enough, he would have said anything to stay in your good graces."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, thank you captain obvious. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have figured that one out on my own. He rescued me so that I could be his escort at some shindig that Thanier was planning on holding when you failed, said he wanted a dance. I said he could have one, after he helped us get to the center."
"And how is that supposed to work, if we get to the center, then there won't be any celebration for him to attend. I don't think even a creature with as small a mind as his can be that daft." He stalked away from her, heading past the line of trees.
"Yeah, well.....um....that's why I told him that if he helped us, that there'd be a victory celebration then and he could come then." she followed behind him stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
"You told him that we would have a celebration after we made it to the center?" Calm and carefully controlled, his voice gave away non of the incredulousness of the situation. Sarah always did have a way of simply taking over when she came to the Underground.
"Had to tell him something. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find where you had wound up, or find a way out of the tunnels. We'd probably both still be wandering around down there. And why not through a celebration? Right now, everyone is so tense with fear, it'll be good to let them relax for a night before you go back to terrifying them again." She gave him a dazzling smile before setting to looking about the valley.
The night was nearing it's end and the moon hung low over the hills across the valley. Dark shadows filled the valley floor making it difficult to see if there was anything dangerous awaiting them there.
"Do you really think me to be that much of a villain, Sarah?" There was a strange note to his voice, somewhat curious, and also a little sad.
"You haven't exactly given me reason to think otherwise." She folded her arms defensively around her and changed the subject. "I can't tell what's down there, guess the only way to find out will be to go down there.
Jareth studied her for a few moments longer. Without a word, he shook his head and started to descend into the valley.